The Stat Line Of The Night — 3/17/11 — Kemba Walker

Entering the 2011 NCAA Tournament, many experts thought the UConn Huskies would experience a letdown after winning five games in five nights to capture the Big East Conference championship. Following their victory over Louisville in the finals, junior guard Kemba Walker admitted to feeling a little fatigued following his team’s incredible run in what many believe to be the toughest conference in the nation. Judging by their first round performance last night against Bucknell, it appears as though Walker and his Huskies teammates have had all the rest that they need in order to make a big run in the tournament.

If Connecticut expects to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament this year, Walker will need to provide a performance much like the one that earned him honors as the MVP of the Big East Tournament. He got off to a good start last night as he recorded an impressive 18 points, 12 assists, eight rebounds and two steals during the Huskies 81-52 victory over the Bisons.

Walker finished just two rebounds shy of a triple double, but his main concern at this point is the success of his team, and their commanding first round win appears to have them on the right track. Next up for the Huskies is Big East rival Cincinnati. UConn beat the Bearcats 67-59 during their only meeting of the season, thanks to Walker’s 11 second half points. The Huskies will need another solid performance from their star guard this time around, but for now Walker earns our “Stat Line of the Night” for Thursday, March 17, 2011.